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Hi, you're in the Archives, August 2006 - Part 1 |
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August
14, 2006 |
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| TASTING
- ANOTHER FOUR CLYNELISHES |
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Clynelish
16 yo 1989/2006 ‘Northern Star’
(55.1%, Art of Whisky, sherry cask)
Colour: gold. Nose: rather powerful,
starting on bold notes of rubber and
hot ham. It seems to be much more
phenolic than usual but that may well
come from the sherry. Quite some caramel,
gravy, balsamic vinegar, grilled beef…
A whole BBQ! Hints of fir honey, breadcrumb,
smoked tea… Rather unusual but
getting more classical after a few
minutes, with quite some toffee, Kahlua,
torrefaction… It doesn’t
stop improving, getting cleaner and
cleaner and much more ‘caky’
- and expectedly waxy. Hints of coal
smoke. Mouth: a powerful and extremely
toffeeish attack, creamy and nervous
at the same time. Lots of candy sugar,
maple syrup, notes of Pedro Ximenez,
dried bananas and figs… Lots
of sherry but also a certain saltiness…
Lots of liquorice as well. Hugely
concentrated in fact, almost like
some liquid sweets for big boys. The
finish is long, coating, thick, very
toffeeish and with again lots of salt.
Well, the sherry really dominates
the malt here but the result is very
far from being unpleasant, quite the
opposite. 87 points. |
Clynelish
32 yo 1974/2006 (58.6%, The Whisky
Fair, bourbon
hogshead, 266 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this one starts
incredibly phenolic, just like a Brora
from the same years. Peat, smoke,
mustard, wet hay, hints of manure,
cow stable… Amazing. Very complex
but rather sharp, developing on old
pu-erh tea, fresh celeriac, tar, Also
something very mineral, flinty, ashy
like in the old Clynelishes (from
the old distillery). Whiffs of crushed
mint leaves, high-end herb liqueur
and just a few notes of rubber (nothing
disturbing). Ah, yes, also horseradish.
Just superb! Mouth: an even peatier
attack and lots of presence, with
an invading attack on gentian, smoked
tea, a rather farmy peat and a superb
oiliness. Something beautifully bitter
and tons of pepper, even chilli, grass
juice, very strong liquorice, tar…
Amazingly Brora-ish and extremely
far from the usual hugely fruity Clynelishes
from the same years. And what a superb
smokiness indeed, especially at the
long and very assertive finish that’s
all on peat, liquorice, leather and
all sorts of ‘concentrated herbs’.
Really explosive, I love it. 92
points. |
Clynelish
22 yo 1983/2005 (54,4%, SMWS 26.43,
247 bottles) 
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts neatly
spirity, quite crisp, and then develops
on many sorts of fruits such as grapefruit,
watermelon, cider apples or not too
ripe kiwis. Nice sharpness. The trademark
waxiness is well here, as well as
a sharp minerality (flints). Let’s
try it with a little water: that works,
even more minerality, freshness, crispiness…
Another ‘riesling’ Clynelish,
no need to say it’s obligatorily
a hit here in Alsace. Mouth (neat):
sweet, very fruity, immensely waxy
and very nervous on the tongue. A
perfect bitterness and quite some
pepper. Lemon skin, mastic and propolis
with some paprika and walnut skin.
With water now: the waxiness gets
more ‘resonant’, with
also huge notes of walnuts arising,
almond milk… The finish is long
and extremely waxy now, with something
of an ultra-dry sherry or vin jaune.
Excellent expression despite its austerity
and sharpness. 88 points. |
Clynelish
12 yo 1993 (60%, Cadenhead)
Colour: white wine. Nose: just as
spirity as the SMWS but also much
more closed. Lemon juice, ashes…
Cologne? That’s almost all,
but water should help: well, not really,
it stays quite closed even after fifteen
minutes, maybe just a little more
citrusy… Mouth (neat): much
rougher and younger than the SMWS,
with again lots of lemon but also
pear juice like in many young malts,
tutti fruti eau-de-vie. Way too raw
like that, so let’s add water
again: not much development I’m
afraid. Always this pear spirit, with
quite some tannins in the background
(grape seeds, over-infused tea). The
finish is long but simple and slightly
acrid. It isn’t too bad in fact,
just quite uninteresting.
77 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Today we have some good, easy
American music by Cindy
Bullens. It's called
Neverland.mp3.
Please buy her music! |
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August
13, 2006 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
LENE LOVICH
The Underworld, Camden Town,
London
August 5th 2006
I
always thought that Lene
Lovich was the bee’s
knees, as nice as ninepence, the cat’s
whiskers, A1 at Lloyd’s, the
real McCoy, and the mutt’s nuts.
Know what I mean? Jozzer called her
“a load of old codswallop. Ear
candy, that’s all. A nine-day
wonder”. Maybe he was right,
because she seemed to exit my musical
life almost as quickly as she entered,
leaving me with nothing but a copy
of her first album Stateless, which
must be lying ‘round here somewhere.
In fact apart from those of her tunes
that seem to be on the permanent mega-gigabytes
of randomly shuffled music that plays
round my head day and night I’d
sort of forgotten all about her, until
I recently saw a much younger singer
on TV somewhere who was clearly trying
to ape her inimitable style. So when
I saw the advert for this gig the
die was, as they say, cast in stone.
So
that’s why we’re in this
dive of a place in Camden Town, the
Underworld (actually it’s under
a pub), a sleazy Punk and Metal venue,
although tonight it’s devoid
of the sleazy rent-a-punks who normally
hang out at Camden Tube station, charging
tourists a fiver to have their picture
taken. Indeed apart from a few clearly
disorientated student-visitors, the
fat balding bloke with glasses (the
Fan), and the friends and family of
the two rather indifferent support
bands, it’s a pretty sparse
and uninteresting crowd. And uninterested
– the Spanish girl next to me
spends the whole night smoking, texting,
and grunting at her boyfriend. Rock
and roll!
And
when it said Lene Lovich it should
have said Lene and Les, because she
is accompanied by long-standing partner,
co-writer and co-producer Les Chappell,
who supports with keyboards and guitar.
No disrespect to Les, but had it not
been for Lene you might have mistaken
them for a Sunday lunchtime pub bar
outfit. But not with Lene. She should
know better – her bus pass can’t
be far away, but rather than slowing
down she seems to have camped it up.
And if she’s not clinically
insane then I’m an, err…Englishman.
The clothes and bedraggled bits and
pieces are heavier and blacker, her
Transylvanian accent thicker (by the
way- she was born in the USA but brought
up in Hull in the UK, a city once,
and perhaps unfairly described, as
“the arsehole of the universe”),
her voice richer, her dancing dafter,
and her songs darker. Self parody
was never too far away. It’s
a bit like coming across a pair of
Goth pensioners at the Bowls Club. |
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But I have to give the old girl (and
Les) credit – clearly sitting
at home watching the National Lottery
show on a Saturday night with a mug
of cocoa is not for them. So instead
they give us a mixture of songs from
last year’s Shadows and Dust
album (anyone desperate to buy a copy
might care to drop by the Cancer Research
shop in Chiswick in a week’s
time, ‘cos that’s where
mine’s going), at least one
that I haven’t tracked down
anywhere, and of course some of the
greatest hits from the Stiff years.
It was fantastic. ‘Little Rivers’
from Shadows was a really good song
well performed, on like ‘Bird
song’ she used her voice like
a Theremin, ‘Wicked witch’
(also from Shadows) was bonkers, but
how does she dance around like that?
And Stateless classics ‘Sleeping
beauty’ and ‘Home is where
the heart is’ were as truthful
to the original as they could be with
just one pub guitar or keyboard, rather
than a six piece backing band. Strangely
the worst of the lot was encore ‘Lucky
number’, the ‘Ooh ah,ah
ooh’ (or was it ‘Ah ooh,
ooh ah’?) song which propelled
her to fame. But by that time we were
enjoying ourselves too much to care.
You know sometimes you just have to
suspend your critical faculties and
say “respect”. Lene and
Les, I honour performance, and I honour
your performance, and may you never
stop. - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| Many
thanks, Nick! I remember Lene Lovich
perfectly well! For us it was her
Lucky numbers indeed and alongside
the B52's, Talking Heads, XTC and
Nina Hagen, it was the part of 'new
wave' music you could hear in discotheques
over here... But when was it again?
1978? 1979? 1980? Anyway, here's a
little Lovich music with her hits
Lucky
numbers.mp3 (I think it's 'Uh
ooh, uh ah') and the interesting and
partly Yma-Sumac-esque Bird
song.mp3. |
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TASTING
- TWO LOCHSIDES
Lochside
21 yo 1979/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 306 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: not the
much anticipated fruity explosion
at first nosing but all the constituents
are well here, even if a little
restrained: tangerines, mangos,
ripe bananas… But all that
takes off after a moment, joined
by litchis, melon, fresh pineapples,
pears (buttery ones), even a little
coconut milk… It’s not
an ‘obvious’ fruitiness,
though, more something very subtle,
very fresh and very elegant. Excellent
Lochside! |
| Mouth:
exactly as expected, perfectly fruity
(please see the list above) with a
nice structure brought by notes of
lemon zest, sweet pepper and strong
tea. The finish is rather long but
maybe just a tad drying and bitter
(the notes of lemon zests having grown
even bolder). But it’s Lochside
as we like it, an elegant fruit bomb.
90 points. |
| Lochside
24 yo 1981 (59.1%, Cadenhead)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts less fresh
and less fruity, much more marked
by the wood (sherry?) More on grapefruits,
crystallised lemon, tea… It
gets then quite rubbery, even grassy…
Too bad, really, but maybe water will
put it on the right track… Well,
that works partially because we do
have more fruits now (green apples,
white gooseberries) but not the tropical
ones. And the rubber comes out even
stronger, alas. Mouth (neat): quite
better than the nose now, the trademark
fruitiness managing to shine through
the sherry. But it’s still a
little too rough, too aggressive to
be enjoyed without water. So, with
water: good news, it killed the sherry
and the rubber but it did not really
reveal new fruit layers except citrus
fruits and quite some tannins. The
finish is quite long, though, but
a little bitter, drying and disturbingly
salty (considering the general profile).
77 points. |
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August
12, 2006 |
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| TASTING
- TWO COLEBURNS BY SIGNATORY |
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Coleburn
14 yo 1983/1997 (43%, Signatory, cask
#796) 
Colour: straw. Nose: really fruitful
at first nosing (mostly on pears and
pineapples) but alas there’s
lots of yoghurtish and feinty aromas
(mashed potatoes, mashed celeriac)
that are soon to develop, as well
as something like dirty wood and Alka-Seltzer.
Too bad, we can also get enjoyable
hints of fern, fennel and anise but
they are almost totally masked by
the feintiness. The whole is rather
difficult, I’d say, getting
quite cardboardy with time. |
| Mouth:
a very sweet attack but also something
bitter in the background (ginger,
apple seeds, turnips). Hints of liquorice
roots, un-sugared tea with lemon…
It’s getting even more bitter
with time and the finish isn’t
too long but very grassy with quite
some wood and a pinch of salt. Well…
72 points. |
Coleburn
36 yo 1970/2006 (62.4%, Signatory,
cask #00/1142, 233 bottles)
This one comes from a wine treated
puncheon, a practice that’s
now forbidden. Colour: pale gold.
Nose: sure it’s powerful but
quite some aromas manage to come through
the spirit (by the way, 62% at 36
yo , isn’t that amazing?) Lots
of crystallized quince and lemon,
Turkish delights, tons of ginger.
There’s also quite some fennel
again, angelica, earl grey tea, lemon
balm, as well as whiffs of menthol.
A very interesting profile, both lemony
and minty. Mouth: an extremely woody
and rather acrid attack with hordes
of tannins invading your palate, quite
some varnish, lots of alcohol…
Well, we could nose it neat but now
water is needed (while the nose gets
very farmy): oh yes, that works beautifully,
the whole becoming much sweeter and
fruity (bananas) while the tannins
don’t get any more aggressive.
Lots of tea as well, a little paraffin…
Interesting I’d say, especially
the long, nicely bitter and lemony
finish (well, not really lemon but
rather lemon skin and seeds). Lots
of wood but other than that this one
is really ‘young’. Not
the most drinkable malt, though. 83
points. |
MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - We're in 1970 again
and Jimi
Hendrix and his Band
of Gypsies (aka Billy Cox and Buddy
Miles) do Who
knows.mp3. Good 'n' heavier... |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
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August
11, 2006 |
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TASTING
- TWO NEW GLEN SCOTIAS BY THE WHISKY
FAIR (including a peaty one!) |
| Glen
Scotia 30 yo 1975/2006 (47.5%, The
Whisky Fair, rum barrel)
Colour: gold. Nose: a very interesting
start on slightly rancid butter, ‘clean’
manure and dried longans (even faint
hints of durian, he-he). Notes of
sake, ham, cheese spread… All
these unusual notes start to vanish
after a few minutes, giving way to
a nice fruitiness (apple juice, kiwi,
very ripe pineapples) and to something
frankly grassy (newly cut grass, apple
skin, fresh walnuts). Quite some vanilla
as well and some discrete oaky tones.
Extremely interesting. Mouth: a rather
sweet attack, but firm and hugely
fruity (oranges). Then we have an
enjoyable grassiness (green tea, capers,
salicornia, green asparagus) and quite
some wax, paraffin, pepper, paprika…
Something smoky in the background.
Gets a little tannic and drying after
a while but nothing unbearable. Also
tequila? The finish is rather long,
waxy, peppery and grassy, much less
fruity than at the attack. Maybe not
a classic but it’s very interesting,
hence very likeable – and recommended.
89 points. |
| Glen
Scotia 6 yo 1999/2006 (52.7%, OB for
The Whisky Fair, peated)
Another ‘unpeated’ distillery
that started to distil heavily peated
whisky! I guess this one is a first,
isn’t it? Colour: white wine.
Nose: starts hugely smoky and ashy.
Coal fire, bonfire, oven, burning
matchstick… It’s also
rather fruity (apple and pear juice),
with also something like peppered
strawberries and finally notes of
ginger tonic. Not extremely complex
but quite different from an Islayer.
Less ‘coastal’ than them
and quite cleaner than most peated
malts from the mainland – and
with a perfect smokiness. Mouth: we
have exactly the same profile on the
palate. Big smoke plus fresh fruits
with a perfect balance and a long,
smoky and ashy finish with a salty
tang. Note to peat lovers: I don’t
know if Glen Scotia made lots of peated
malt so don’t miss this one!
87 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- We're in 1959 and April
Stevens does a slightly
suggestive (and funny - and cultissim)
Teach
me tiger.mp3. Wowowowowowahh!
Please buy her music... |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
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August
10, 2006 |
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| MUSIC
AND WHISKY INTERVIEW - DIEGO SANDRIN |
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Great
news, thanks to Maniac Luc Timmermans,
we finally found a very successful
rock musician who’s also a genuine,
die-hard whisky freak: Italy’s
excellent folk-rock singer and single
malt collector Diego Sandrin. Diego
spent part of his professional life
in the US (he even wrote a song with
Lisa Marie Presley) where he gave
many successful gigs and his songs
have been used in several movies,
for instance in Hopwood DePree’s
‘The Last Big Attraction’.
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| Last
but not least, his latest CD 'Ten
songs in the key of madness' has been
voted #5 among Bilboard's Staff Top
Ten, next to another Whiskfun favourite,
John Fogerty's 'Déja vu all
over gain'. |
Serge:
Diego, please tell
us briefly about what you do, music-wise.
Diego
Sandrin: I got
my first record deal at 15, I formed
a punk band in Pordenone Italy called
Ice and the Iced, we were pretty succesful,
our 7” published in 1981 is
now selling in Ebay at around 300$.
Now I have a record deal with Sirius
Satellite Radio in New York and published
my CD “Ten songs in the key
of Madness”. I am a Singer/Songwriter
in the style of Elliott Smith or Nick
Drake, acoustic Alternative is what
they call it. |
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Serge:
Which other musicians
are you playing with?
Diego:
In the CD I had
the pleasure and honour of having
Pete Thomas on Drums (best known for
his work with Elvis Costello) and
Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, B.B.
King, Sheryl Crow), also guitarist
Smokey Hormel (Beck, Johnny Cash)
and bassist John Conte (Peter Wolf,
Ian Hunter). Teddy Zambetti produced
it (Flying Burrito Brothers) and Niko
Bolas Engineered and mixed it (Neil
Young). |
Serge:
A great bunch of artistes,
that's for sure... Which are your
other favourite musicians?
Diego:
I will say I never
get tired of hearing Neil Young, Elliot
Smith, Tom Waits, and anyone who can
tell me a story with just a guitar
and little else. |
Serge:
Which are your current
projects?
Diego:
I have just finished
recording the 20 song demo for my
new CD “Hayfields for Varenne”
which will be recorded this fall in
LA. |
Serge:
Now, when did you
start enjoying whisky? Are there any
musical memories you particularly
associate with that moment?
Diego:
Oh yes! During
my Punk band days it was Jack Daniels,
then it turned to Macallan (of course,
I AM Italian right?!) it was a 25y
distilled in 1965, I never tasted
anything so smooth, later I discovered
that the 8 yo Macallan bottles from
the 80s with the plastic cap bottled
for Italy had in them a very special
nectar, some amazing casks with an
unusual amount of sherry in them,
soooo smooth you could not drip it
from the glass, so I bought 50 of
them! I still have some and still
enjoy it with dessert. |
Serge:
Ah yes, the one that
was imported by Rinaldi I guess...
What’s your most memorable whisky?
Diego:
Again it had to
be a Macallan Glenlivet 37 yo from
1940, the ones with the red writing
from G&M imported by Co Import.
I have been told these are the same
bottles which have been rebottled
by Macallan in their very expensive
“Vintage” line, I really
love that whisky. |
Serge:
Do you have one, or
several favourite whiskies?
Diego:
I am an avid collector,
I own about 800 bottles of all kinds,
but I can say I am just a novice dilectant
when it comes to tasting whisky, only
recently I have started to get used
to drinking peated malts and I must
say its getting addicting, like with
Sushi or Truffles, the taste is acquired
but when you’re there you can’
go back and that’s whats happening
to me now, I had some Ardbegs and
Port Ellens and old Laphroaig and
I think I am hooked so I am shifting
from Higland to Islay in then recent
times. |
Serge:
And are there whiskies
you don’t like?
Diego:
The new Macallans
do not impress me much although I
haven’t had many, I don’t
like Auchentoshan and the new Glenfarclas
bottlings (15 yo ). |
Serge:
I must say I liked
the new Glenfarclas 'Quarter Casks'!
Something else, ‘If the river
was whisky baby, and I was a diving
duck’ is one of the most famous
and well used whisky lyrics, from
sea-shanties to blues and rock and
roll. Do you have a favourite musical
whisky reference?
Diego:
“Show me
the way to the next whisky bar”
by The Doors has to be my favourite,
especially because It is followed
by “ Show me the way to the
next little girl” if you know
what I mean! Also Elliot Smith on
his superb and Academy Award nominated
“ Miss Misery” starts
with “ I will fake it through
the day with some help from Johnny
Walker Red…” I also wrote
many references to whisky in my songs
of course, like in “Broken down,
I do” I wrote “ She lives
in the city, she lives for the pretty
good chance that one day I ‘ll
go by, with the blessing of a gipsy,
and a bottle of whisky, I soon found
my way to her house…” |
Serge:
Music and whisky are
often though of as being male preserves.
Should girls play guitars, should
girls drink whisky?
Diego:
Absolutely YES!
My girlfriend is a true whisky expert,
she does not drink much of it but
she knows every decent bottling of
Scotch ever made, she has the passion
for collecting as myself and we own
the collection 50/50. |
Serge:
In some ways you could
argue that tasting a whisky is similar
to listening to a piece of music –
you deconstruct the two in the same
way? Care to comment?
Diego:
I completely agree,
although I am not good at tasting
Serge, maybe I can convince you to
give me some lessons on it? |
Serge:
Well, I’m sure
you’re just being modest, Diego…
Now, do you have a favourite piece
of music to drink whisky with, or
better still, desert island dram,
desert island disc?
Diego:
I would take Joni
Mitchell’s “Blue”
and listen to The River drinking my
unopened Springbank 12 yo 57,1% Imported
by Samaroli, I’ve heard its
fantastic stuff, and when that is
gone I will open my Samaroli Bowmore
bouquet 1966! That should be a nice
island time yes? |
Serge:
Yeah well, looks like
everybody likes these monsters…
And if Scotch was for rock and rollers,
can you think of which brand? What
would be the Scotch equivalent of
rappers drinking Cristal?
Diego:
Actually I was
hoping the new Bruichladdich could
become the rock’n’roll
Scotch, but then they started coming
out with so many bottlings I got confused!
But their Legacy was damn good and
it has a nice “I’m not
letting go of this” look, good
enough to become a Rock Icon. |
| TASTING
- TWO GREAT BOWMORES |
| Bowmore
12 yo 1991 ‘Baffo Forever Edition
No.2’ (46%, Whiskyauction, 311
bottles)
A tribute to Eduardo Giaccone, the
great late Italian whisky connoisseur
and collector. ‘Baffo’
was his nickname. Colour: white wine.
Nose: an ultra-clean start on freshly
cut apples, fresh oysters and whiffs
of wood smoke. Develops on notes of
lemon, seaweed, black pepper and hints
of fresh butter. Add to that a little
bread and you have a perfect oyster
meal – I’m only half-joking.
Archetypical, and of course hugely
enjoyable. |
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| Mouth:
excellent news, it’s still typical
(lemon, peat, sea) but it’s
also got its own special flavours
such as anise sweets, lavender sweets
(‘good’ lavender), even
raw fennel… And then lots of
pepper. Incredibly assertive despite
the relatively low strength. And we
have a long finish on all these flavours
plus a little carmel and hints of
liquorice, not to forget the expected
salty tang. A perfect young Bowmore,
perfectly clean (if you see what I
mean). Congrats to Whiskyauction for
having selected this one, and for
paying homage to Signor Giaccone.
90 points. |
| Bowmore
1991/2005 (59.6%, Scotch Single Malt
Circle, sherry, cask #575)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: lots of
power, really explosive, starting
on gingerbread, leather and pipe tobacco.
Hugely complex, it appears, even at
that strength and without water. Superb
notes of espressso coffee, balsamic
vinegar, bitter caramel, wine and
meat sauce, cocoa (or 100% cocoa chocolate
for that matter). Goes on with hints
of game, poble (Mexican sauce)…
Really beautiful and Really special.
Let’s see what water will do…
With water: gets a bit farmier as
often, with notes of ‘good’
manure, horse stable, new plastic
(which is nice here), brand new car…
And also lots of clove, finally going
back to gingerbread and leather. Amazing.
Mouth (neat): a powerful, almost invading
attack on a concentrated ‘Bowmoreness’
(uh?) and high-end sherry. Again we
have lots of tobacco (raw Habanero)
but also prunes, something like cough
syrup, tar, lots of spices, bitter
oranges, wax, mastic, salted liquorice,
high-end coffee flavoured toffee…
It gets then very smoky and even more
concentrated, like if they had cooked
twenty litres of Bowmore and reduced
them into one single litre. Amazingly
rich! With water (while I’m
at it…): gets a little dryer
(adding water doesn’t work as
greatly as on the nose) and slightly
cardboardy but also hugely peppery
– to the point that it starts
to bite your tongue, even when reduced
to roughly 45%. Amazing indeed, what
a beast. As for the finish, it’s
simply very long, going on with the
same combination. A fabulous whisky
in my books, one for lovers of extreme
malty adventures – and one that
will put you in a good mood just like
that. 94 points (thanks,
K.!) |
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August
9, 2006 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
NANCI GRIFFITH AND THE BLUE MOON ORCHESTRA
Shepherds
Bush Empire, London, August 1st 2006
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| It’s
blisteringly hot in London. This is
when, as the tabloids would have it,
temperatures ‘soar’ and
records ‘tumble’. Luckily
half of the capital seems to have
gone on holiday, so at least there’s
a little less traffic, and the tubes
and trains aren’t too congested.
But there are still enough people
left to fill the Shepherds Bush Empire
to see Nanci Griffith and her Blue
Moon Orchestra ‘though I observe
that she normally plays much larger
venues when she visits (the soulless
Albert Hall) so either Nanci’s
star is somewhat on the wane, or the
promoters have downsized due to the
time of year. Let’s hope it’s
the latter. |
 |
| We’re
standing on the first floor of the
Bush on the side balcony with a fantastic
view over the stage – one of
the best spots in the theatre. The
guy next to me is far too animated
for such a sedate evening –
whoopin’ and a hollerin’
all night long - and it turns out,
is a fan of the Del
McCoury Band, who play
a blinding set before Ms Griffith
takes the stage. Red hot bluegrass
with veteran Del leading with all
that barely comprehensible Grand Ole
Opry smoozing, but singing with remarkable
clarity for a man of advanced years.
Star of the show was son Ronnie on
mandolin – he’s picked
up five successive "Mandolin
Player of the Year" awards from
the International Bluegrass Association
– who played like a dervish.
His brother Rob on banjo also had
his moments, as did fiddle player
Jason Carter. True to Opry style they
made the stage shrink to the size
of a radio studio as they played in
tight formation around their Audio-Technica
4033 microphone. |
 |
Songs
included ‘Promised land’
(from their most recent album of gospel
tunes), ‘My love will never
change’, John Sebastian’s
‘Nashville cats’ (outstanding)
‘Body and soul’, Hank
William’s ‘You win again’.
Del was also keen to play requests
– “1952 Vincent Black
Lightning” shouted Mr Excited
next to me. “Well”, said
Del, “this is a little bitty
tune by your very own Richard Thompson
from Englandshire which we recorded
back there in Nashville, why it must
have been….” It wasn’t
bad. If you get a chance go and see
them and you can judge for yourself. |
| Nanci
Griffith is always a
delight to watch. She is charm personified,
her between song anecdotes and meanderings
both engaging and unpredictable. You
could sometimes wish that some of
weaker material didn’t get in
the way of the chat. She’s slight
and lithe, and shimmies around the
stage whenever she can, a bundle of
energy and delight. She’s a
survivor too. Her voice is rich and
resonant, and not with the same high
pitched nasal twang that she speaks
with (the Photographer told me that
this could be irritating, were it
not for the fact that Ms Griffith
is so nice). |
 |
|
|
She
plays a pretty good guitar too. As
does Clive Gregson, who delivers a
Fender Telecaster master class –
Gregson’s a long time collaborator
and former member of the Richard Thompson
Band. Blue Moon Orchestra leader James
Hooker was characteristically impassive
and note perfect, whilst drummer Pat
McInerney and bass player Le Ann Etheridge
also did their stuff without any fuss
or performance. They were all just
great, but somehow the gig didn’t
quite add up to the sum of all their
parts. |
| It’s
not quite a greatest hits show as
there’s a lot of material from
2004’s Hearts in Minds, ‘Simple
life’, ‘Love conquers
all’, Gregson’s ‘I
love this town’, ‘You
are beautiful’, ‘Last
train home’ and ‘Heart
of Indochine’ (a moving anti-war
song that linked into Griffith’s
work on behalf of the Mines
Advisory Group). And of course
there’s ‘John Prine’s
‘Speed of the sound of loneliness’,
‘The flyer’, ‘Gulf
Coast highway’, ‘From
a distance’, ‘Late night
grand hotel’, ‘Working
in corners’, ‘Love at
the five and dime’, ‘Listen
to the radio’ and ‘It’s
a hard life’. All very well
sung and perfectly played, but as
I say it didn’t quite seem to
add up. Maybe some of the old material
is a little too old, a little over-sentimental
(“gooey” was the Photographer’s
word), and maybe some of the new material
is a little over-sentimental too (‘You
are beautiful,’ about her piano
playing stepfather might fall into
that category). But I suppose there’s
nothing wrong with wearing your heart
on your sleeve, particularly when
it can be done with such elegance.
|
| Conclusion
– Ms Griffith is still a great
act and worth a look should you get
the chance, but tread carefully with
your choice of albums. And British
TV viewers might like to know (as
she confided in us) that Ms Griffith
would swap her whole career for a
cameo appearance in BBC’s soap
opera EastEnders
– so next time a lady picks
up the guitar and sings in the Queen
Vic just pay attention, it might be
Nanci. - Nick Morgan (gig photograph
by Kate) |
 |
 |
Thank
you so much, Nick. That landmine stuff
is really scary and disgusting and
I hate to hear some governments’
double talk – nauseates me.
154 countries have signed Ottawa's
ban treaty (the UK and France included,
phew) but 40 countries haven’t
signed it yet (including, should I
add of course, a certain huge Western
‘democracy’ – no,
not Monaco). Please see also Handicap
International. By the way, I’ve
added a picture of a piece of paper
I found in London two or three years
ago, there were lots of such ‘papers’
lying in the streets – very
effective. But maybe Whiskyfun isn’t
the place for such serious ramblings,
so back to Nanci Griffith with Big
blue ball of war.mp3 from Hearts
in Mind, 2004). Well, it's quite serious
too... |
| TASTING
- TWO FABULOUS BALMENACHS |
| Balmenach-Glenlivet
14 yo (57.5%, OB, early 1970’s)
Colour: full amber. Nose: not overly
expressive at first nosing but there’s
lots of elegance in there. A beautiful,
refined sherry that tends towards
balsamic vinegar, high-end soy sauce,
prune sauce. Then we have chestnut
honey, honeydew, ganache and cappuccino…
And finally flowers such as violets,
old roses, ginger liqueur (that stuff
that smells so nice but tastes so
weird), gingerbread, bitter oranges…
A fantastic old sherry monster that’s
all elegance. |
 |
| Mouth:
wow, it’s very powerful after
all these years, punchy, starting
on truckloads of nougat and developing
on old sweet wine, all sorts of roasted
nuts, buttered caramel and very strong
honey. Goes on with crystallized oranges,
liquorice, sloe gin… Hints of
rubber, quince fruit jelly. The finish
is very long, liquoricy, jammy and
quite salty… Ah, these wonderful
old whiskies! 92 points. |
| Balmenach
1976/2006 ‘30th Anniversary
of Kirsch Import’ (52.9%, G&M
reserve, sherry hogshead #1765, 230
bottles)
Colour: deep mahogany. Nose: maybe
not as complex as its older sibling
at first nosing but it is a very nice
sherry (the malt isn’t really
important here). Meatier than the
14 yo , more chocolaty but also more
camphory and resinous. Superb notes
of pine needles. It’s incredibly
fresh in fact, getting more complex
by the minute with hints of shells,
espresso coffee, cashews, toasts…
Really excellent, quite dry and with
a great ‘rectitude’ –
try this instead of Kahlua or Tia
Maria! Mouth: alert! it’s an
invasion! A monstrous, yet hugely
enjoyable sherry, like a mixture of
liquid chocolate, coffee, triple-sec
and all sorts of candied and dried
fruits. Dates, figs, prunes, oranges,
bananas, pineapples… Sure it’s
a bit thick but thickness means richness
here. Also roasted nuts, maple syrup,
nutmeg… Excellent, and we have
a long, typically ‘sherried’
finish with its usual saltiness at
the end; even the rubber is perfect.
So, that’s a perfect sherry
monster, happy birthday Kirsch Import
– and thanks Konstantin.
Amazing that it managed to hack it
‘against’ the old 14 yo
. 93 points. |
|
|
|
August
8, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- FOUR LAPHROAIGS |
 |
| Laphroaig
16 yo 1987/2004 (46%, Silver Seal,
770 bottles)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: quite some
sherry, with notes of rubber and roasted
nuts that do not let the malt shine
through too much at first nosing.
It’s soon to get quite leafy
and earthy, with something distinctly
medicinal now (iodine, embrocation).
Hints of bitter caramel and chlorophyll,
pu-erh tea, walnuts… Getting
nicer and more complex by the minute.
Quite some liquorice as well, shells,
bitter oranges… A nice one,
in fact, despite the rather heavy
rubber. Mouth: again lots of sherry
and quite some roundness and sweetness
but the balance between the sherry
and the peat is now almost perfect.
Lots of milk chocolate, bitter oranges,
black pepper, something resinous,
chlorophyll again, quite some tannins…
And a big peat blast as a finale despite
a medium long but almost perfect,
smoky and earthy finish. Another interesting
malt that needs your time and attention
but that’s not ungrateful. 89
points. (and thanks Christophe) |
| Laphroaig
8 yo 1998/2006 (48.5%, The Whisky
Fair ‘Artist Edition’)
An unusually low ABV considering the
age, or does that mean that the cask
spent all of its short life on Islay?
Colour: white wine. Nose: starts very
maritime and very interestingly fruity.
Lots of gooseberries, strawberries
and kiwis and a much lower peat level
than in most young Laphroaigs. Feels
like if the peat was here just to
season a fruit salad. It gets then
stony, flinty, with also notes of
marshmallows. Very unusual, very interesting.
It seems that our friends at The Whisky
Fair make it a point of honour to
select unusual, yet very good casks
and I say that’s a brilliant
idea, congrats. Mouth: it’s
all in keeping with the nose at first
sip except that the peat arrives in
full glory after just a few seconds.
Much more classical in fact, quite
medicinal and maritime, with also
notes of walnut skin, white pepper
and smoked tea. Classic but excellent,
especially when considering its young
age. The finish is long, full, compact,
very ‘Laphroaig’ now.
A speedy maturing (so it wasn’t
on Islay, was it?) and an excellent
result. 90 points. |
| Laphroaig
12 yo 1993 ‘Hebridean Light’
(54.5%, Art of Whisky, cask #2433)
Colour: white wine. Nose: starts clean,
pure, crisp, on lemon juice, seaweed
and smoke with hints of grain. As
classically Laphroaigish as it can
get. Goes on with hints of paraffin,
burning candle… Notes of rubber
band, wet stone and finally quite
some lily of the valley and almond
milk. Not complicated but rather perfect.
Mouth: sweet, extremely lemony, fruity
(kiwi juice), smoky, peaty…
I couldn’t be more typical.
A certain waxiness, grassiness…
All that isn’t complex but so
perfectly balanced and compact, with
a long, very coherent finish…
Now, it lacks ‘difference’,
especially after the 8 yo we just
had. In other words, ‘just another
excellent young Laphroaig’,
but that’s more than enough
to deserve 88 points
in my books. |
| Laphroaig
12 yo 1993 (54.8%, Jack Wieber’s
Auld Distillers, 287 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: very similar,
maybe just a tad more spirity (it
can’t be the 0.3%, can it?)
and maybe a little more closed. Maybe
the lemon juice is also a bit more
present. Mouth: again it’s very
similar, maybe a tad rounder and even
more compact, with some added liquorice
and maybe even more wax/resin. In
short, it’s just as excellent.
I sort of preferred the AoW’s
nose but this palate is slightly more
satisfying, so, same rating:
88 points (and thanks,
Konstantin). |
 |
And
also Laphroaig
15 yo 1969/1985 (55.3%, Intertrade)
Maybe sweeter and less peaty than
many other older versions of Laphroaig
on the nose but extremely assertive.
The mouth is really explosive, very
peaty now and hugely lemony with also
superb notes of fresh kiwi. A sharper
palate than, say the 10 yo C/S’s.
Another excellent oldie worth
92 points in my books. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
|
|
|
August
7, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- FOUR HAKUSHUS BY SUNTORY |
 |
Hakushu
18 yo (43%, OB, 2006) 
Colour: gold. Nose: quite aromatic,
starting on bananas, papayas and
elegant oaky tones, the latter growing
bigger by the minute with quite
some vanilla, a little varnish,
brand new wooden cupboard…
Switches to ginger ale and pear
eau-de-vie after a moment, canned
pineapples… A slight sourness
(green apples). Rather different
and quite enjoyable even if I feel
it lacks compactness. Huge notes
of nutmeg appearing aftyer a while.
Mouth: the attack is very woody,
tannic, slightly astringent but
there’s also the same very
nice fruitiness as on the nose,
with lots of bananas again, dried
lychees, walnut skin, almonds, cider
apple… The finish is rather
long, still quite tannic and maybe
a tad papery but the whole is a
good, rather unusual whisky. 80
points (and thanks,
Misako). |
| Hakushu
1994/2005 (58%, OB, cask #4Z05405,
bourbon, 176 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts quite
bourbonny but not only. Rather bold,
hugely vanilled and oaky (carpenter’s
workshop). It reminds me of some recent
Glenmorangies (truffle oak, Missouri
and so on). It gets then quite spicier
(cinnamon, curry, lots of nutmeg again),
with notes of sandalwood, incense,
ripe strawberries, bananas again….
I must say I like this one, the wood
being very present but quite perfectly
integrated. Ah, yes, also hints of
old roses… Mouth: powerful and
playful, the wood and the fruits having
mingled quite perfectly here. Quite
close to some bourbons in fact, just
not as sweet and vanilled. The oak
gives a rather huge but soft spiciness.
Quite some apple compote as well,
white pepper, grilled bananas…
And a long, balanced, spicy –
oaky finish. This one is very oaky
but not too oaky. I liked it. 86
points. |
| Hakushu
1988/2003 (61%, OB, cask #8J40514,
bourbon, 132 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this one is much
more phenolic, peaty, almost resinous.
I must say this peatiness works well
with the rather extreme woodiness,
it gives the malt sort of an extra-dimension.
Antiques shop, old polished furniture,
hints of turpentine, cigar box, leather,
shoe polish… Lots happening
in there, even if it’s not precisely
refined and elegant. Imagine an old
Jaguar, burr walnut, Connolly leather
and all that… Too bad the whole
is a bit rough. Mouth: peat right
away, then wax, then spices. Goes
on with chewing tobacco (I know, yuk,
but it’s nice here), peppered
cooked fruits, smoked ham, smoked
tea… Gets a little too hot,
let’s try it with water: we
have the same profile expect an added
waxiness and quite some salt coming
through. Now, the very long finish
is very interesting, with an unusual
mix of ripe bananas, smokiness and
pepper. I liked this one even better
than the unpeated versions, it was
really entertaining. 88 points
(and thanks, Bert). |
| Hakushu
1989/2005 (63%, OB, cask #9W50004,
sherry, 453 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: starts just
on plain, pure, crisp sherry, with
a most enjoyable freshness and no
‘thickness’ whatsoever.
Superb notes of high-end coffee, old
orange liqueur (Grand Marnier’s
special cuvees), fruit jam (but it’s
not the cloying kind of jam), high
quality chocolate… Goes on with
lots of armagnac soaked prunes, very
old sweet wine (like Rivesaltes or
Maury), Smyrna raisins... I must say
I don’t quite get where the
malt is in there but the sherry is
absolutely perfect. Delicious sweetmeat!
Mouth: granted, it’s a bit pungent
at that strength but so perfectly
sherried. Most importantly, there’s
no rubber, no sourness, no roughness,
just plain, pure crisp sherry (I insist).
Let’s see what happens with
a few drops of water now (while the
nose gets even more delicious): it
really starts to resemble the very
best armagnacs (best from Gelas or
private cuvees from Domaine du Bouté).
Thick, creamy, extremely satisfying
and totally flawless… I think
I fell in love with this one. Perfection
made in Japan, even if I’d call
this an armasky – or a whiskgnac.
93 points. (and
thanks, Bert and Ho-cheng) |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Today we have Baxter
Dury (son of late Whiskyfun
favourite Ian Dury) doing Cocaine
man.mp3. Apples never fall far
from the tree, they say... Please
buy Baxter (and Ian's) music! |
 |
|
|
|
August
6, 2006 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
| TASTING
- TWO YOUNG DARK BUNNAHABHAINS |
 |
Bunnahabhain
12 yo ‘Islay Festival 2005’
(53.4%, OB, Port wood finish, 766
bottles)
I already tasted this one several
times but never took proper notes.
Colour: amber – salmony. Nose:
rather hot at first nosing, marked
by the red fruits (strawberries, raspberries)
but with also a nice freshness. Notes
of coffee. Gets fruitier and fruitier
with time, with also hints of flowers
(peonies, typically). Nice balance
although it’s almost more hugely
fortified Port than Port-flavoured
whisky. |
| Mouth:
powerful and immensely fruity again,
together with a little pepper. Almost
too hot, let’s try it with a
little water: still very fruity but
a little more complex, with quite
some melon coming through, ripe peaches…
Still very sweet, almost sugarish
now. The finish is long, very long,
on overripe strawberries and pepper.
Hmmm, not exactly my cup of tea, I’m
afraid, it’s too ‘easily’
sweet and fruity, but it’s not
flawed either. 74 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
7 yo 1998/2005 (59.3%, Adelphi, cask
#2921)
Colour: similar but more orange. Nose:
much more sherried, less fruity, more
on cake, caramel, toffee and fruitcake.
Whiffs of smoke, huge notes of Werther’s,
hot cake, pastries… And now
we have the red fruits, mostly strawberry
jam and liqueur. A little more complex
than the OB, less ‘rashly’
fruity. Very nice balance, at that,
nicely integrated despite its young
age. Mouth: powerful and very sweet
but, curiously, more easily drinkable
without water than the OB. Lots of
crystallised oranges, apricot jam,
praline, caramel, the whole being
quite simple and maybe too direct.
Growing notes of rubber, slightly
disturbing. With water: gets even
more caramelly, also nuttier, creamier…
Almost like a hazelnut liqueur, with
slightly shorter, but more balanced
finish with something ashy in the
background. Certainly better in my
books but still not a winner. Both
were probably a little too simple.
82 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- It's Sunday, we go (sort of) classical
with a tribute to the great Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf who passed
away last week. She's singing Rudolph
Sieczynski's Wien,
du Stadt meiner Träume.mp3
(Vienna, city of my dreams) beautifully
- I think it's on Kubrick's Eyes
Wide Shut OST. Please buy Dame Schwarzkopf's
music! |
 |
|
|
|
August
5, 2006 |
|
|
 |
Imperial
16 yo 1976/1993 (43%, The Master of
Malt, cask #7560)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ouch, very
difficult. Starts with quite some
clay, wet chalk, Alka Seltzer (I know,
‘no brands’ but…)
Extremely mashy… Porridge, muesli,
iron, cardboard… Just a little
vanilla… That all, folks. Ah,
no, also some fresh apples after a
moment. Gets slightly better with
time but it’s still quite hard.
Mouth: quite powerful but very herbal,
bitter at the attack. Also cardboardy,
chalky… Develops on orange skin,
baking soda, gin… The finish
is rather long but disturbingly salty
and papery… A very bizarre malt,
I think. 66 points. |
| Imperial
24 yo 1977 (57.6%, Cadenhead)
Colour: gold. Nose: a very weird start
on cooked cabbage and pills (you know,
when you open a new medicines box).
Something like burnt bakelite, tar,
iron again, rotting oranges…
And yes, wet cardboard. Hum…
Thank God it gets a little better
with time, with fruity notes arising
(apples). Vanilla-flavoured caramel.
Something minty as well… Cough
syrup? Now I get even a little peat,
something nicely farmy… Quite
a pull-up! Mouth: better than the
MoM although it’s rather weirdly
herbal again at first sip. Lots of
salted liquorice, medicine, cold un-sugared
coffee, ‘chemical’ vanilla
crème (canned)… Goes
on with even more liquorice and now
rubber bands (remember, at school).
I must say it’s interesting;
it works like Proust’s Madeleine
(a sudden flavour or a smell that
revives old memories). Baking soda
again, tapioca… The finish is
long, rather bold and quite cleaner,
mostly on caramel and salted liquorice.
Well, I’d say this one isn’t
worth more than 70 points organoleptically
but I’d go as far as 80
points because it’s
really ‘interesting’.
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - I don't know why I felt
the sudden urge to post Move
over.mp3 by Janis
Joplin. Why, oh why?
And oh, yes; let's have Summertime.mp3
again (the Cheap Thrills version)... |
 |
|
|
|
August
4, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- FOUR LOCH LOMONDS |
 |
| Loch
Lomond distillery produces various
kinds of malts. Inchmurrin is among
the unpeated versions, while Craiglodge,
Inchmoan and Croftengea are increasingly
peaty expressions. There's also the
famous Loch Lomond Blue Label, Captain
Haddock and friend Jean-Marie P.'s
favourite ;-). |
| Inchmurrin
12 yo (40%, OB, circa 2005)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: extremely
grainy and caramelly, with all sorts
of cereals. Hints of lavender. Very
simple but not unpleasant. Mouth:
things are getting worse now, with
something like old stale honey, dust,
cardboard, cheap liquid caramel for
cooking. This one is close to a lower
shelf blend. Short and weak finish…
Okay, it isn’t completely undrinkable
and better than a kick in the teeth
as the Scots say but the newest Littlemill
and Glen Scotia from the same series
are much better I think. 60
points. |
Craiglodge
2001/2005 (45%, OB, Distillery Select,
Cask #223, 434 Bottles)
Colour: almost white. Nose: light
and spirity and first nosing, mostly
on pear and mash. Very little wood
influence if any, some would think
it’s vodka. Notes of porridge,
mashed potatoes… Very little
peat that I can get… Wait, now
I get a little smoke (fireplace).
Not particularly flawed, that is,
rather clean. Mouth: very sweet and
spirity, as close to fruit spirit
as it can get. Hints of plums, apple
juice… And quite some black
pepper. Is that the peat? The finish
is medium long, not unpleasant at
all, with a nice after burn. A modest
expression but, as we say, we’ve
seen worse. 68 points. |
| Inchmoan
2001/2005 (45%, OB, Distillery Select,
Cask #53, 397 bottles)
Colour: almost white. Nose: light
again but now we do get whiffs of
peat indeed. Alas, I think the loss
of the pear aromas isn’t really
an asset here, the whole being even
less expressive than the Craiglodge’s.
Smoked muesli? Mouth: we’re
now closer to kind of a diluted new
make from Islay. Again quite some
black pepper, muesli, Greek yoghurt,
boiled cereals… The finish is
rather long and very peppery. Peppered
vodka? Gorilka? 65 points. |
| Croftengea
1996/2005 (45%, OB, Sherry finished,
cask #283, 380 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: starts on
more peat as expected as well as on
a rather dry and chocolaty sherry.
Goes on with notes of smoked ham,
coal, butter and something very ashy.
Kippers. Nice balance, no flaws, quite
pleasant. Mouth: a rather coherent
attack, dry and peaty, soon to get
both very coffeeish and very farmy.
The black pepper is even bolder here…
Gets also very meaty (grilled beef)
as well as quite cardboardy, with
a rather long and slightly hot finish
on chilli and roasted peanuts. Different,
interesting and encouraging. 80
points. |
MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - We had a great interview
with ex-distillery manager and blues
musician Mike Nicolson
(Lagavulin, Lochnagar, Caol Ila
etc) on July 28 but we didn't have
a sample of his music at hand. That's
now repaired, thanks to a very high-placed
source in the UK, with this
excerpt (a collector's item!)
from a CD recorded with 95°
proof in the old Malt Mill buildings
at Lagavulin. (Picture - Mike is
at the right). |
 |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
|
|
|
August
3, 2006 |
|
|
| MUSIC
AND WHISKY INTERVIEW - NEIL CAMPBELL |
 |
It’s
no secret we like experimental and
avant-garde music at Whiskyfun, even
if we feel an ‘avant-garde’
that lasts since the 1940’s
or the 1950’s – do you
remember Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre
Henry’s musique concrète
(concrete music)? – can’t
be quite called avant-garde anymore.
|
| Indeed,
collage, industrial or atmospheric
samples and loops, ‘cosmicallity’
or ‘bruitisme’
(noisism?) are now really part of
our common musical culture but Britain’s
legendary Neil Campbell,
‘a veteran of the U.K. underground
drone music scene’ (copyright
allmusic.com), is a very good example
of a talented musician who keeps the
‘genuine’ flame alive,
who manages not to fall into all the
traps created by the easy use of computers
in music and who adds his very own
and very worthy contribution to the
'true' edifice. Neil also happens
to enjoy his single malt so we were
very happy to be able to interview
him. |
Serge:
Neil, please tell
us briefly about what you do, music-wise.
Neil
Campbell: I’m
main musical director of Astral Social
Club. Up until recently, I also played
as part of Vibracathedral Orchestra.
I also play with other people from
time to time in ad hoc formations.
In
all my musical ventures I aim towards
creating a joyous sound that will
lift both listener and performer to
some sort of time-less, ego-less plane.
I want ecstatic overload, blown-out
pleasure sound, rapid transportation
to higher realms. Sounds lofty, but
it’s actually quite ramshackle
and quotidian, usually comprising
a primitive droning racket on strings,
electronics and good old-fashioned
hollering, all held together with
figurative string and sellotape and
slammed down onto tape in the quickest
and dirtiest manner. Whatever, it’s
rarely polite. |
Serge:
Which other musicians
are you playing or did you play with?
Neil:
I’ve played
with all manner of other people over
the years, including A Band, Julian
Bradley, John Clyde-Evans, Decaer
Pinga, Sticky Foster, Rob Hayler,
Campbell Kneale, Paekong Mae, Skullflower,
Smell + Quim, Sunroof!, Universal
Indians, Stewart Walden and Richard
Youngs. |
Serge:
Which are your other
favourite artistes?
Neil:
Too many to name,
and the list changes constantly, but
right now it would included The Skaters,
Theo Parrish, Pharoah Sanders, Wolfgang
Voigt, Excepter, Velvet Underground,
Richie Hawtin, Throbbing Gristle,
Axolotl, Miles Davis, Cluster, Incapacitants,
Sun Ra, Phil Spector, Can, Wolf Eyes,
etc etc, plus more generic stuff like
60s Motown, renaissance choral music
and gaelic psalmody. |
Serge:
Which are your current
projects?
Neil:
I’ve just
completed an Astral Social Club CD
for vhf records, am working on a double
LP for textile records and myriad
small-run CDR-type things for more
underground distribution. I play live
whenever anyone offers me a nice gig
and my circumstances allow me –
no touring, no promoting product or
anything. |
Serge:
When did you start
enjoying whisky? Are there any musical
memories you particularly associate
with that moment?
Neil:
I’m from
a Scottish household, so whisky’s
always been around, but generally
just cheap blends. I think I realised
it was something a little more pleasurable
around the start of my 20s. No real
musical link though. |
Serge:
What’s your
most memorable whisky?
Neil:
Passing a big
duty free bottle of Lagavulin around
between the band and various well-wishers
in the freezing cold outside a club
in Olso after Vibracathedral Orchestra
had played there. We knew drinks were
ridiculously expensive in Norway,
so had arrived prepared. It seemed
a slightly barbaric treatment of my
favourite whisky, but needs must!
|
Serge:
Do you have one, or
several favourite whiskies?
Neil:
West Coast almost
all the way – Lagavulin is top
of my “can afford to drink”
pile, then Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Talisker,
Oban … Highland Park is my wild
card. I guess these are “heavy”
tastes that many people haven’t
acquired, and the music I make and
listen to often is kinda heavy and
maybe an acquired-taste. Maybe there’s
a link? |
Serge:
Are there whiskies
you don’t like?
Neil:
Obvious stuff,
like the fake whisky I tasted in France
once … but, y’know, even
Bell’s has its place. |
Serge:
Ah, yes, maybe you
had that vile stuff called 'Hopkins'
we do have on some shelves here. There's
only 2 or 3% whisky into it and it's
awful, I agree. Now, do you have a
favourite piece of music to drink
whisky with, or better still, desert
island dram, desert island disc?
Neil:
Whisky’s
often a late-night pleasure for me,
so I’d probably be spinning
something like Tallis’ “spem
in alium”, side 2 of “tribute
to Jack Johnson” by Miles Davis
or Spykes’ “silent locks”
LP. |
Serge:
Everyone thinks of
Jack Daniels as being the great rock
and roll whisky – why not Scotch?
Neil:
If I was gonna
be pedantic I would say because rock’n’roll
originates from the southern states
of the USA. If I wanted to be contentious,
I’d put it down to the cultural
imperialism of the USA and rock’n’roll’s
willingness to be co-opted by vile
capitalist branding. Whatever, it’s
probably for the best. Would you wanna
see some horrible band swigging Lagavulin
straight from the bottle outside a
club near you any time soon? |
 |
TASTING
- TWO GLENFARCLAS
Glenfarclas
1986/2003 (43%, OB for Germany,
fino sherry, 1800 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: rather fresh,
marked by the sherry but not too
much, starting quite elegantly on
apricot jam and a faint smokiness.
Gets fruitier and fruitier, on crystallised
oranges and tangerines, sweet white
wine such as Monbazillac, notes
of rose jelly, fruit drops…
Really playful and extremely fruity.
A genuine sweet. |
| Mouth:
sweet and rounded, slightly more caramelly
than fruity now. Tarte tatin, vanilla
crème, milk chocolate, fruit
pie topped with liquid caramel, Turkish
delights… It’s all sweetness
and that’s just fine. The finish
isn’t too long but quite assertive,
on caramel and candy sugar, corn syrup…
Very sweet and very good but not extremely
complex. 85 points. |
| Glenfarclas
1987/2006 ‘Quarter Casks’
(46%, OB, 1299 botles)
A brand new expression. Colour: amber.
Nose: we’re in the same family,
that’s obvious here, but this
one is a little less aromatic, less
fruity but slightly woodier, although
that woodiness isn’t excessive.
Maybe more flowery (nectar, wild flowers).
All that is very elegant, very enjoyable.
Lots of ripe apricots, fresh pineapple
developing after a moment. Nothing
but direct pleasure. Mouth: again,
firmer than the 1986, more structured
by the tannins. Lots of roasted nuts,
toasted pastries, praline, nougat,
chocolate… Also cappuccino,
vanilla (of course), something of
a good demerara rum. Goes on with
apricot pie and something slightly
smoked. The finish is quite long,
toasty and vanilled… The overall
balance is good and there’s
no sign of over-woodiness, which is
good news. 87 points. |
|
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|
August
2, 2006 |
|
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| TASTING
- SIX EXCELLENT BENRIACHS (or why
Benriach is becoming a blue chip) |
 |
| Benriach
19 yo 1986/2006 (54.7%, OB for The
Whisky Fair, bourbon hogshead #2972,
297 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: extremely fresh
and fragrant, like a fresher and more
ethereal version of a very good Balvenie.
Starts on a huge fruit salad (apples,
peaches, melons, apricots, bananas…)
with whiffs of old roses and maybe
a little bubblegum and marshmallows.
Then we have hints of herbal teas
(rosehip, hawthorn) and finally a
certain grassiness that sort of counterbalances
the extreme fruitiness. Mouth: again,
the attack is immensely fruity, sweet
but also quite spicy and peppery (quite
some oak). Lots of pink grapefruit,
apricot jam, ripe melon, quince jelly…
Add to that a little caramel, quite
some honey and a pinch of cinnamon
and you get the picture. The finish
is long, getting now maybe a tad too
oaky and drying (and kind of a slight
sourness – apple skins) but
the whole is an excellent whisky that
really delivers. Highly drinkable!
88 points. |
| Benriach
1976/2005 (57.6%, OB for Craigellachie
Hotel, cask #8079, 144 bottles)
Another feat of arms
by excellent former manager of the
bar Martin Markvardsen. Colour: gold.
Nose: wow (sorry), this is complex!
We do have the huge fruitiness (apples
and bananas) but also lots of other
aromas. First, beautiful notes of
very old pu-erh tea (earthiness),
then all sorts of herbal teas (camomile
and again hawthorn), then hints of
eucalyptus and camphor and finally
a few tropical fruits for good measure:
guavas, mangos, papayas, coconut milk…
All that with a very elegant oaky
structure. Almost perfect, one of
these noses that may explain why Benriach
is becoming a blue chip these days.
Mouth: this one starts very resinous
(if you know Compass Box’s Spice
Tree, there are similarities), spicy,
very creamy and buttery. Huge notes
of coconut (again, the wood) and quite
some smokiness. We do have that pu-erh
tea again, with a growing ‘nice’
bitterness (chlorophyll). Almost thick
and viscous but not cloying in any
way. The finish is long, very resinous,
nicely bitter – maybe traces
of peat - , and the whole is an excellent
whisky with a fantastic nose and an
‘invasive’ palate. Very
firm! 91 points (and
thanks Marcel) |
| Benriach
20 yo 1984/2004 (55%, OB, cask #627,
253 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this one is much
more phenolic, even if not frankly
peaty at first nosing, rather waxy
and resinous. Gets then quite buttery…
And then the peat takes off, rather
in the smoked tea genre (lapsang souchong).
We do have notes of seaweed and fisherman’s
nest, that is… Also bitter oranges,
orange flowers water (oriental pastries),
but the whole is quite dry and seems
to lack the beautiful fruitiness we
had in both the ‘Whisky Fair’
and the ‘Craig’. Did the
peat kill the fruits? Now, it’s
still a very nice nose. Mouth: sweet,
peaty, waxy and resinous but again,
not too fruity. Notes of lavender
sweets, quite some liquorice –
excellent mouth feel. Hints of Provence
herbs (thyme and rosemary, even sage
and oregano). Keeps developing on
chlorophyll chewing-gum, apple skins,
walnuts again… And again a certain
oiliness, with a long, thick, compact
finish on all things resinous. Very,
very good again despite the ‘non-fruitiness’
on the nose – and it keeps improving
each time you taste it. 91
points. (and thanks Konstantin) |
| Benriach
25 yo 1979/2005 (57.5%, OB, peated,
cask #10985, 228 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: little peat in
this one at first nosing but the expected
fruit blast does occur after just
one or two seconds, even if the whole
is a little less playful than with
the ‘Whisky Fair’. Lots
of freshly cut apples, quince, fresh
walnuts, slowly switching to resinous
notes (mastic, cough syrup, argan
oil). Perfect balance – a great
nose in fact. Mouth: ah, now we have
lots of peat but also lots of dryness,
with impressive tannins invading your
mouth. Lots of tea (very infused),
lots of apple skin, lightly sugared
quince jelly, bitter oranges, almonds,
strong coffee… That’s
a little too much for my tastes I
must say, especially the finish is
quite drying (your tongue sticks to
your palate as we say). Funny notes
of icing sugar and strawberry drops
at the very end. Anyway, it’s
very good but not the best I think.
87 points. |
| Benriach
20 yo 1984/2005 (60%, OB for Potstill
Austria, peated, cask #594, 240 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts much
peatier than the other 1984, almost
Islay style. Extremely waxy and almondy,
developing on apple skins, walnuts,
hints of dried coconut, bitter chocolate…
It’s also very ashy, smoky (oven,
fireplace) and rather mineral (clay).
Gets also quite vegetal after a moment
(newly cut grass, fern). Very good,
again, beautifully dry, with a perfect
balance but a certain lack of fruitiness.
Mouth: starts quite sweet, very liquoricy
and rather tannic, with a slight sourness
on the tongue (cider apples). Lots
of peat of course… The whole
gets very peppery, spicy (hints at
Talisker), quite mineral again, slightly
chalky. Amazing that I don’t
feel the need to add water despite
the 60%. Mastic flavoured Turkish
delights (I know, I know…) Long,
very compact and coherent finish,
on apple skin and peppered tea. Very
good again but the other 1984 was
a little more complex and satisfying.
87 points. |
| Benriach
10 yo 1994/2005 (61.1%, Signatory
for Germany, cask #2027, 321 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: now we’re
even closer to Islay’s style
but with a rather extreme austerity.
Tons of peat smoke, stones, seaweed,
oysters (yes I know where Benriach
is located) plus a certain farminess
(wet hay, garden bonfire). Again,
little fruit but quite some nuts (almonds,
fresh hazelnuts). A beautiful rectitude
and maturity at such young age. Mouth:
ah yes, this one is the peatiest indeed.
A beautiful austerity again with something
that reminds me of a young Laphroaig.
Huge smokiness, liquorice, infused
tealeaves, black pepper, perfect bitterness…
Punchy and elegant, with a very long,
totally balanced peaty, smoky finish
that lasts for hours. Well, almost.
Great young stuff even if it’s
not monstrously complex. 90
points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Unlikely? Not at all, Milla
Jovovich's version
of Lou Reed's Satellite
of love.mp3 is quite good, I
think. Sure she isn't La Callas
(nor even Carla Bruni) but she's
Milla... Please buy her music! |
|
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August
1, 2006 |
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 |
TASTING
- TWO 'LAGAVULINS'
CELP
‘The Seaweed Experience’
6 yo (55%, The Ultimate Whisky Company,
Holland)
A young Lagavulin sheltering seaweed
that’s supposed to be good
for our health. Well, even if it’s
not really true it’s funny
so let’s applaud this crazy
experiment… And taste it.
|
| Colour:
greenish. Nose: starts very maritime,
to say the least, just like a huge
plate of oysters on a bed of kelp.
The seaweed is very obvious but the
malt’s smokiness and crispiness
do shine through. Not unpleasant at
all, I must say, and rather balanced.
Develops on diesel oil, lamp petrol,
apple juice, hints of tequila…
I quite like it. Mouth: now it’s
getting a little weirder, with kind
of a succession of various flavours
that do not seem to mingle too well.
Lime, green pepper, peat, grapefruit
skin, cactus juice… And finally
tequila. That’s it, a peaty
tequila. Even the lemon is provided!
Now, the finish is long, quite balanced
and better integrated now, with just
a pinch of salt. Yes, for the tequila…
Anyway, all that is very funny and
worth trying, especially because the
price is quite fair (around 50 euros
I think) and because it appears that
the people who made this aren’t
as deadly serious as some other experimenters.
85 points. |
| Cadenhead’s
1992/2006 (58%, Cadenhead, bottled
by hand)
Said to be Lagavulin. Colour: pale
straw. Nose: sharp, very clean and
fresh, with that typical Lagavulin
fruitiness (lemon and pineapple drops).
Bold whiffs of sea air, oysters and
seaweed (but it’s less bold
than in the CELP, obviously), getting
maybe more flowery than usual (peonies,
lilac). Goes on with gin fizz, hints
of manzana (apple liqueur) and more
and more iodine. As clean and pure
as one can get, not too far from the
official 12 yo ’s but cleaner
- as well as a little less complex,
I’d say. Mouth: a perfect attack,
bold, punchy but gentle, very lemony
but sweet, very smoky but balanced,
with a most enjoyable ‘coastality’
and a certain saltiness. Very classy
and not too ‘easy’, with
a very pleasant sharpness. A prototypical
Lagavulin with little wood influence
and a long, perfectly integrated finish
on smokiness, grapefruit juice and
salt. Wouldn’t we love to be
able to taste more different versions
of that very classy malt called Lagavulin?
91 points. |
| And
also Smokehead
(43%, Ian McLeod)
Simple but very clean and straightforward
peat and smoke plus a crisp fruitiness
(lemon, gooseberries). A totally flawless
young peat monster, highly drinkable
but probably not meant for 'tasting'.
85 points (because
of its extreme cleanliness and because
of the rock and roll label). |
 |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- A little reggae for a change with
Sting's friend Pato
Banton and his profession
of faith I
do not sniff the coke.mp3 (yes,
he only smokes sinsemilia). Please
buy this Pato Banton's music... |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews |
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Balmenach-Glenlivet
14 yo (57.5%,
OB, early 1970’s)
Balmenach
1976/2006 ‘30th Anniversary of Kirsch
Import’ (52.9%, G&M reserve,
sherry hogshead #1765, 230 bottles)
Benriach
10 yo 1994/2005 (61.1%, Signatory for
Germany, cask #2027, 321 bottles)
Benriach
1976/2005 (57.6%, OB for Craigellachie
Hotel, cask #8079, 144 bottles)
Benriach
20 yo 1984/2004 (55%, OB, cask #627,
253 bottles)
Bowmore
12 yo 1991 ‘Baffo Forever Edition No.2’
(46%, Whiskyauction, 311 bottles)
Bowmore
1991/2005 (59.6%, Scotch Single Malt
Circle, sherry, cask #575)
Cadenhead’s
1992/2006 (58%, Cadenhead, bottled
by hand)
Clynelish
32 yo 1974/2006 (58.6%, The Whisky
Fair, bourbon hogshead, 266 bottles)
Hakushu
1989/2005 (63%, OB, cask #9W50004,
sherry, 453 bottles)
Laphroaig
8 yo 1998/2006 (48.5%, The Whisky Fair
‘Artist Edition’)
Laphroaig
15 yo 1969/1985 (55.3%, Intertrade)
Lochside
21 yo 1979/2001
(50%, Douglas Laing OMC, 306 bottles)
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